Well do you? I keep reading rave reviews of the Japanese Dodge Caravan but
what am I getting for the 5-10 thousand dollars more (dont get me wrong I am
not going to buy one of those Chrysler mini-lemons) besides Toyota reliability
and resale value. My other choices at the moment are a Subaru Legacy or 98 or
earlier Honda Odyssey. Help Mr Wizard!
Rich
17
Apr
Do you love your Sienna?
I have a Subaru Legacy Wagon from 1995. I also have a 1994 Chrysler LHS and
have previously owned 2 1991 Ford Taurus’s – all purchased brand new. I can
tell you that although the Chrysler is supposed to have the worst repair
record of the bunch, it was by far the most reliable… so don’t write off
those Chysler minivans.
I don’t recommend the Subaru Legacy wagon… the air conditioner is way too
small for a $20000 + car. It belongs in an Escort. I’ve had 2 dealers
check it and it meets specs. Subaru America told me to pretty much drop
dead when I complained. The materials in the interior are of very low
quality. For example, even though I have no kids, 2 door panels were
damaged in unexplained ways. One was replaced under warrenty by the
dealer… they think there may have been a foreign object molded into the
foam door panel that came to the surface and broke thru. I believe you can
easily damage the door panel if you squeeze it wrong with your bare hand as
you close the door – your finger nail can probably pierce the surface.
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
RZink47680 wrote in message <19981022233215.25056.00000…@ng32.aol.com>…
> Well do you? I keep reading rave reviews of the Japanese Dodge Caravan
but
>what am I getting for the 5-10 thousand dollars more (dont get me wrong I
am
>not going to buy one of those Chrysler mini-lemons) besides Toyota
reliability
>and resale value. My other choices at the moment are a Subaru Legacy or 98
or
>earlier Honda Odyssey. Help Mr Wizard!
>Rich
What do your complaints about a Subaru have to do with a Toyota Sienna?
In article <70puei$re…@camel15.mindspring.com>,
"Art Begun" <beg…@mindspring.com> wrote:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
> I have a Subaru Legacy Wagon from 1995. I also have a 1994 Chrysler LHS and
> have previously owned 2 1991 Ford Taurus’s – all purchased brand new. I can
> tell you that although the Chrysler is supposed to have the worst repair
> record of the bunch, it was by far the most reliable… so don’t write off
> those Chysler minivans.
> I don’t recommend the Subaru Legacy wagon… the air conditioner is way too
> small for a $20000 + car. It belongs in an Escort. I’ve had 2 dealers
> check it and it meets specs. Subaru America told me to pretty much drop
> dead when I complained. The materials in the interior are of very low
> quality. For example, even though I have no kids, 2 door panels were
> damaged in unexplained ways. One was replaced under warrenty by the
> dealer… they think there may have been a foreign object molded into the
> foam door panel that came to the surface and broke thru. I believe you can
> easily damage the door panel if you squeeze it wrong with your bare hand as
> you close the door – your finger nail can probably pierce the surface.
> RZink47680 wrote in message <19981022233215.25056.00000…@ng32.aol.com>…
> > Well do you? I keep reading rave reviews of the Japanese Dodge Caravan
> but
> >what am I getting for the 5-10 thousand dollars more (dont get me wrong I
> am
> >not going to buy one of those Chrysler mini-lemons) besides Toyota
> reliability
> >and resale value. My other choices at the moment are a Subaru Legacy or 98
> or
> >earlier Honda Odyssey. Help Mr Wizard!
> >Rich
———–== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==———-
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
If you read his message completely, you will understand.
meye…@my-dejanews.com wrote in message
<70r4ff$dn…@nnrp1.dejanews.com>…
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
>What do your complaints about a Subaru have to do with a Toyota Sienna?
>In article <70puei$re…@camel15.mindspring.com>,
> "Art Begun" <beg…@mindspring.com> wrote:
>> I have a Subaru Legacy Wagon from 1995. I also have a 1994 Chrysler LHS
and
>> have previously owned 2 1991 Ford Taurus’s – all purchased brand new. I
can
>> tell you that although the Chrysler is supposed to have the worst repair
>> record of the bunch, it was by far the most reliable… so don’t write
off
>> those Chysler minivans.
>> I don’t recommend the Subaru Legacy wagon… the air conditioner is way
too
>> small for a $20000 + car. It belongs in an Escort. I’ve had 2 dealers
>> check it and it meets specs. Subaru America told me to pretty much drop
>> dead when I complained. The materials in the interior are of very low
>> quality. For example, even though I have no kids, 2 door panels were
>> damaged in unexplained ways. One was replaced under warrenty by the
>> dealer… they think there may have been a foreign object molded into the
>> foam door panel that came to the surface and broke thru. I believe you
can
>> easily damage the door panel if you squeeze it wrong with your bare hand
as
>> you close the door – your finger nail can probably pierce the surface.
>> RZink47680 wrote in message
<19981022233215.25056.00000…@ng32.aol.com>…
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
>> > Well do you? I keep reading rave reviews of the Japanese Dodge
Caravan
>> but
>> >what am I getting for the 5-10 thousand dollars more (dont get me wrong
I
>> am
>> >not going to buy one of those Chrysler mini-lemons) besides Toyota
>> reliability
>> >and resale value. My other choices at the moment are a Subaru Legacy or
98
>> or
>> >earlier Honda Odyssey. Help Mr Wizard!
>> >Rich
>———–== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==———-
>http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
>If you read his message completely, you will understand.
Yea, but do you own a Sienna and have any thoughts about IT. That was my
question. I have already done my research on the Subaru and you are the first
to mention the AC complaint and its a small matter to me.
Pardon me for not knowing that you had already completely evaluated the
Legacy.
Anyway, my neighbor owns a Sienna and loves it. Check your dealer before
buying though. I have owned 3 Toyotas previously and have found the service
departments poor. Consumer Reports has in the past listed satisfaction
levels with dealerships and Toyota is always one of the lowest rated as far
as satisfaction with the dealer.
RZink47680 wrote in message
<19981023234436.13847.00000…@ng-ft1.aol.com>…
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
>>If you read his message completely, you will understand.
>Yea, but do you own a Sienna and have any thoughts about IT. That was my
>question. I have already done my research on the Subaru and you are the
first
>to mention the AC complaint and its a small matter to me.
>Pardon me for not knowing that you had already completely evaluated the
>Legacy.
Consumer Reports has in the past listed satisfaction
>levels with dealerships and Toyota is always one of the lowest rated as far
>as satisfaction with the dealer.
Hey Art, No problem, if I really had completely evaled the Legacy I would have
bought or eliminated it. And as far as Toyota dealership service goes, they
would probably never see the vehicle. I have a private mechanic who is
expensive but whose service is second to nobody ealse I have ever had work on
any of my cars.
Rich
Rich,
Since you say you have not completed your evaluation: I am the owner of a
1995 Subaru Legay Wagon who today ordered a Sienna XLE. The Legacy will go
to the inlaws. The Legacy is a decent car, but it always fell short in
comparison to our other car, a ’94 Camry – which we love. The little touches
of quality one finds in a Toyota, and which don’t seem like a big deal when
you are buying the car, are lacking in the Subaru. By itself that would not
be a big deal, but my wife and I happen to switch cars with each other a lot
for various reasons, and driving the Legacy did get to be a pain compared to
the Camry.
I must also agree with Art that the AC is inadequate. It takes a long time
to cool down and on a really hot day (100+) the backseat riders do not get
cool at all. Also the clutch needed to be replaced at 25,000 miles, much
sooner than the two other manual transmission cars we have owned. It was our
plan to keep the Legacy for a long time, but we were enticed by the
Camry-like Sienna (as well as the extra space and passenger capacity) and
expect a much better driving and ownership experience. Really, the price
differential in the vehicles is such that it is not fair to the Suburu to
compare the two.
Riaz
In article <19981025172942.14980.00001…@ng17.aol.com>,
rzink47…@aol.com (RZink47680) wrote:
> >Pardon me for not knowing that you had already completely evaluated the
> >Legacy.
> Consumer Reports has in the past listed satisfaction
> >levels with dealerships and Toyota is always one of the lowest rated as far
> >as satisfaction with the dealer.
> Hey Art, No problem, if I really had completely evaled the Legacy I would have
> bought or eliminated it. And as far as Toyota dealership service goes, they
> would probably never see the vehicle. I have a private mechanic who is
> expensive but whose service is second to nobody ealse I have ever had work on
> any of my cars.
> Rich
———–== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==———-
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
Hey I appreciate the feedback.
Thanks,
Rich
I also have a 98 Sienna with about 7000 + or – miles and have had no
problems with the exception of the pin-striping starting to come off. A
great vehicle, we just love it.
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
Preston wrote in message <70sr6i$d…@odie.mcleod.net>…
>I have a 1998 Sienna with 7500 miles and have been completely satisfied
with
>it. The A/C handled the humid St. Louis summer very well. My wife is the
>primary driver and loves the car. My total maintenance charges so far has
>been approx. $47.00 for two oil changes and tire rotation.
I love my BMW. The Sienna is ok. My van has an annoying pull to the right.
I believe this to be simply non boosted steering at on center making any
road crown require more force than one would expect to keep corrected. Some
have said Michelin X-One tires feel better regarding ‘crowning’.
The left passenger door rattles sometimes and lets outside high frequency
sound through. I suspect the door doesn’t compress against the rubber
molding well and has ‘leaky’ spots.
Middle row leather bucket backs flop as the van starts and stops. Makes the
passenger think the seat is broken and they are going to fall back. Some
have said they begin to rattle with no passenger in the seat.
The two rear split seats are not friendly to a center passenger. Also the
rubber built into the pivot hooks has smashed into bits. This causes the
rear seats to squeak very loudly as the vehicle vibrates at highway speeds
and the seats are flipped up. No amount of any lube I know of would stop
the squeak. I fixed it by wrapping bicycle innertube around the mounting
points. That lasts for 8 hours of driving then they to get squished and the
metal to metal squeak returns.
I’ve developed a very annoying ‘snap’ stress creak under the black dash
bonnet. I haven’t taken it to the dealer yet. It used to only creak for a
while, then the AC would cool something enough to contract plastic/metal and
it would stop. Now it does it almost always.
The van is very cross wind sensitive. I drive like a drunk on windy days.
I wish I had the towing suspension as the stock has become way too soft
after break-in. I have put 20k on the van in one year.
On the positive side, I put a 7 foot couch in and closed the rear door. Put
a 8 foot Christmas tree on top. Made a two day each way trip with the wife,
kid, and two dogs with no problems other than above. It’s really easy to
pack compared to a sedan. Passengers really like the soft ride. Got 25 mpg
on highway.
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -
RZink47680 wrote in message <19981022233215.25056.00000…@ng32.aol.com>…
> Well do you? I keep reading rave reviews of the Japanese Dodge Caravan
but
>what am I getting for the 5-10 thousand dollars more (dont get me wrong I
am
>not going to buy one of those Chrysler mini-lemons) besides Toyota
reliability
>and resale value. My other choices at the moment are a Subaru Legacy or 98
or
>earlier Honda Odyssey. Help Mr Wizard!
>Rich